Can’t wait till monsoon

Monsoon may knock at Delhi's door very soon but the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is conveniently avoiding its most important duty — surveying dilapidated and dangerous buildings in the city's two oldest zones.

Monsoon may knock at Delhi's door very soon but the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is conveniently avoiding its most important duty — surveying dilapidated and dangerous buildings in the city's two oldest zones.

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In July 2007, two women and a child were killed and seven injured when a three-story building collapsed in Chandni Chowk area of the Walled City. The building was 70 years old. In August last year, two buildings collapsed in Vishnu Garden and Paharganj but no one was hurt.

But the civic body is yet to start the task of surveying such buildings. MCD officials claimed that in Old Delhi there are more than 70 hazardous buildings that are more than 100 years old and need to be demolished immediately.

Most of these buildings are located in Sadar Paharganj and City zones of the MCD. Areas in these two zones include Ballimaran, Seeta Ram Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Shah Ganj, Bharat Nagar, Darbia Paan, Chuna Mandi, Paharganj, among others.

The civic agency carries out an annual survey before the onset of monsoon to identify dangerous buildings in the city. However, on record the last survey was conducted in 2007-08.

"We will be starting the process of conducting the survey soon. Dangerous buildings that need to be demolished and others that need to be repaired will be served notices," said Renu Krishnan Jagdev, deputy commissioner of the Sadar Paharganj zone.

The City Zone of the civic agency that covers areas such as Chandni Chowk, Ballimaran, Seeta Ram Bazaar among others have the highest number of dangerous buildings.

"There are approximately 200 properties that need to be repaired before the monsoon. Of these at least 50 are those that will have to be demolished immediately, as chances of them collapsing during this rainy season is quite high," said a senior MCD official of the City Zone, on condition of anonymity.

"But there are no personnel to carry out the survey. We have now decided to use our own staff of the zone to conduct the survey. It will start within a week's time," added the official.